“He worked tirelessly for the betterment of the disadvantaged, for the socially and spiritually deprived,” Bishop Gerald Barnes, who leads the San Bernardino Diocese, said in a letter to parishioners. “He was a source of encouragement and inspiration, his insight and judgement coming from a theology deeply rooted in the Gospel values.”

Guillen, who died Jan. 15, had been living at Pacifica Senior Living in Ontario, where he was in failing health for several months, according to Barnes.

Guillen was born in Bellflower on Feb. 16, 1929, the eighth child of ten to Patricio Guillen and Juana Santoyo, Mexican immigrant parents who came to the United States at the turn of the 20th century.

His family lost its home and farm during the Great Depression, and four of his brothers and 15 of his cousins died of a tuberculosis outbreak after the Long Beach Earthquake in 1933.

He graduated from Chino High School in 1948, studied modern languages at La Verne College and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1957 from Immaculate Heart Seminary in El Cajon.

He was ordained that year in the Diocese of San Diego, which included the jurisdiction now covered by the Diocese of San Bernardino — Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Guillen served throughout the Inland Empire, including at St. Edward Catholic Church in Corona; Our Lady of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Riverside; and San Salvador Parish in Colton. He was a chaplain at California Rehabilitation Center in Norco.

Guillen was appointed director of Hispanic Evangelization for the San Bernardino Diocese in 1981, serving until 1986.

Guillen worked with Hispanic groups supporting the farm workers under Cesar Chavez’s leadership, and with PADRES, a National Association of Chicano Priests, according to Barnes.

In 1986, he helped establish Libreria Del Pueblo, a nonprofit San Bernardino agency that serves the Latino immigrant community. He served as executive director of the group until 2012.

“I realize how my entire life as a child with my migrant parents, my years of poverty, hunger, homelessness and deaths have provided me with compassion, patience and love for those whom we daily serve,” Guillen said at the celebration of Libreria del Pueblo’s 25th anniversary in 2011.

In 2016, he was appointed “Padrino de Honor” of LEAD (Latino Education and Advocacy Days), a yearly educational summit focused on empowering Latino students held at Cal State San Bernardino.

Enrique Murillo, LEAD Executive Director, called Guillen a “community giant and pillar who contributed in the fields of education, civil rights, justice for human rights, preservation of the arts, journalism, youth leadership development and political awareness.”

“We have lost a dear friend, prophet, and valued pillar of our community,” Murillo said in a statement.

Services

A Vigil Service will be held at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 5048 D Street, Chino on Sunday, Jan. 27. Viewing will be from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. with rosary at 7 p.m.

Angela Maria Naso has been a reporter since 2013. She studied at the University of California, Santa Barbara. After ten years of being a bilingual teacher, she decided to dedicate herself exclusively to journalism. She enjoys writing and the people she meets along the way. One day, she aspires to win the Pulitzer Prize.